Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seamless front flap assembly. Specifically, the present invention relates to a seamless front flap assembly for a front shell of a waterproof garment.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1-3 show a conventional waterproof jacket. The jacket is made by stitching a plurality of the impregnated man-made shell fabrics together and has two opposite front panels. The front flap assembly for the jacket is constructed by first stitching an outer flap and an inner flap respectively with each of the front panels. A zipper tape is further located below the outer flap and stitched therein, while the other zipper tape is located above the inner flap and stitched therein. Based on the above structure, when the two zipper tapes are engaged to form a zipper, the outer flap and the inner flap enclose the zipper tapes such that water cannot pass through the zipper tapes rendering the waterproof effect. However, as shown by the broken lines in FIG. 2, water can still penetrate into the front panels through the needle holes of the stitching and eventually the jacket cannot be 100% waterproof.
To eliminate the above problem, for the shell fabrics, thermal tapes are provided under the stitching to ensure the waterproof effect. Since the thermal tape cannot be positioned on the front flap portion of the jacket for appearance reasons, instead of the stitching, glue has been used to join the outer and inner flaps to the zipper tapes. However, the glued front flap portion usually has a strong smell and the quality thereof is not stable. Further, the production output is low and the cost incurred is high. The above factors make the glued waterproof jacket less competetive in the market.
FIGS. 4-6 show another conventional seamless front flap assembly is widely used in the current outdoor waterproof jacket. In this instance, an outer flap is respectively stitched on each of the opposite front panels, with the upper one used to block the water and the lower one served as a gutter. A zipper tape is positioned below the respective outer flap and further stitched to the front panel. To prevent the water from penetrating into the needle holes of the stitching between the outer flap and the front panel, a thermal tape is positioned under the stitching.
However, with two flaps positioned on the top of the zipper tapes by stitching, the jacket not only consumes more fabrics, the front of the jacket is also stressed by the flaps and makes the wearer feel uncomfortable. Even though this type of jacket is waterproof, the front of the jacket is never clean and neat.
FIGS. 7-9 show a seamless front flap assembly disclosed in the pending U.S. Ser. No. 10/213,199, where improvements have been made to prevent water from penetrating into the front panels through the needle holes of the stitching.
This invention is related to an improved version of the pending U.S. Ser. No. 10/213,199 featuring an extra piece of fabric to provide additional anchoring for the zipper tapes.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a seamless front flap assembly for a garment, which is waterproof.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a seamless front flap assembly for a garment, which makes the front of the garment look neat and elegant.
The other objective of the present invention is to provide a seamless front flap assembly for a garment, which features extra pieces of fabric to provide additional anchoring for the zipper tapes.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a seamless front flap assembly for a garment, which features a lower outer flap to serve as a gutter to enhance the water blocking effect.
To achieve these objectives, the seamless front flap assembly in accordance with the present invention for a garment having a first front panel and a second front panel in a side-by-side configuration, the assembly comprises: a top storm flap including: an upper fabric; a lower fabric stitched to the upper fabric of the top storm flap; and a thermally meltable compound for adhering the upper fabric to the lower fabric of the top storm flap; a bottom storm flap including: an upper fabric; a lower fabric stitched to the upper fabric of the bottom storm flap; and a thermally meltable compound for adhering the upper fabric to the lower fabric of the bottom storm flap; a first zipper anchoring flap including: an upper fabric stitched to the lower fabric of the top storm flap; and a lower fabric stitched to the upper fabric of the first zipper anchoring flap; a second zipper anchoring flap including: an upper fabric stitched to the lower fabric of the bottom storm flap; and a lower fabric stitched to the upper fabric of the second zipper anchoring flap; a zipper including: a first zipper tape and a second zipper tape, each zipper tape being stitched to the first zipper anchoring flap and the second zipper anchoring flap, respectively.